Outside Reading Post #1

"Mother to ask Congress to Award Son Medal of Honor" A marine named Rafeal Peralta who died in 2004 in Iraq was denied the medal of honor and given the Navy Cross, the second highest award for a Marine, instead. His mother, Rosa Peralta, was told in 2007 that her son would get the Medal of Honor and is now going to appeal congress on the decsion and says she may not accept the Navy Cross. Allegedly Rafeal Peralta grabbed an enemy grenade while searching a house in Fallujah and took the blow himself, saving his fellow Marines' lives. The argument is whether or not Peralta was alrady shot in the head before this and if his body just fell on the grenade instead of him grabbing it. I think that Rafeal Peralta deserves the Medal of Honor either way because he died bravely for his country and either way his actions saved other Marines' lives. I also think that it is ridiculous that it takes over four years to get the Medal of Honor and the $1,000 a month pension for his family that comes with it, because his family seemed poor, immigrated from Mexico and has moved often. I realize that not everyone who dies in wars could get the medal of honor because that would take the greatness out of the award, but I do think that anybody who sacrifices their life for others deserves the award. I also think that congress doesn't need a say in the awarding, and the awarding could be done by the military themselves.

Carter,Chelsea."Mother to Ask Congress to Award son Medal of Honor".Yahoo.com.2008.